I am excited to announce Home Care Assistance’s newest book, The Handbook of Live-in Care: A Guide for Caregivers, is now available for pre-order on Amazon!  This is an extremely valuable resource for caregivers – usually a son or daughter – that offers practical, how-to advice on caring for an elderly loved one. From understanding the psychology of home-bound adults to tips for assisting with everyday needs, this is the first definitive guide to maximizing the quality of life for an older adult.
To pre-order a copy of the book, go to:  http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Live–Care-Guide-Caregivers/dp/1450779530/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310701173&
  

The Guinness World Records announced today that the title of “Oldest Living Person” has been taken by a Brazilian woman, Maria Gomes Valentim. She is 114-years and 313 days old. She was born in Carangola, Brazil on July 9th, 1896.


The previous record holder, Ms. Besse Cooper from Monroe, Georgia, now holds the title for “Oldest Living North American”. She is younger than Valentim by 48 days!
Maria Valentim attributes her longevity to her healthy eating habits, which consist of an occasional glass of wine and a full roll of bread with coffee every morning. She is proud to say that she is still able to feed herself without any help.


Maintaining our independence, as Valentim has, is important to all of us as we age. Valentim may hold the record for being the “Oldest Living Person” in the world, but there is a place where more people live longer and healthier than any other place on Earth: Okinawa, Japan. Life spans over 100 years are not unusual in Okinawa, but more importantly, people in their 70s, 80s enjoy incredible good health and independence. At Home Care Assistance we have studied the lifestyles of the Okinawa people and incorporate these components into the daily lives of our clients.
Excellent physical health, mental awareness and inner calm are common among the Okinawa elderly. Based on studies from this group of seniors, Home Care Assistance has developed The Balanced Care Method™, the first senior care solution to improve their quality of life with emphasis on balance and longevity.


Our caregivers are trained in The Method which includes the following components: a healthy diet, physical activity, mental awareness, social ties and calmness and purpose. Under this philosophy, Home Care Assistance caregivers extend and enhance the lives of our clients, helping them live longer, happier and more balanced lives.

The laws regarding elder care often change as the elder population grows, leading to confusion and misinformation. Elder care attorneys provide legal advice to families about the many different aspects of an elder’s life – including housing options, health care, estate planning, public benefits, and more. They differ from traditional attorneys because they specialize in an area of legal practice that places emphasis on issues that affect the aging population.
When thinking about your loved one's legal future, there are five important services an elder care attorney can provide:


1. Estate planning – Creating appropriate estate planning documents, such as wills and trusts, ensures a person’s assets will be left to their intended beneficiaries. Elder law attorneys focus on integrating estate planning with other goals that are important to a senior, such as protection of assets from long-term care costs, qualification for veteran’s benefits, or other public benefits.


2. Locating resources for care and assistance – Elder care attorneys are familiar with the local network of services and providers, appropriate state and federally funded programs, and Geriatric Care Managers that provide the services and support needed for seniors and their families.


3. Assisting with qualification and application for public benefits – There are many public benefit programs available to assist low-income and low-asset elders with the care they need. Public benefit programs and eligibility requirements constantly change, and elder law attorneys are always up-to-date with the current laws and regulations.

4. Guardianship and conservatorship - When a senior is no longer able to make his or her own decisions, an elder care attorney can assist family members in obtaining authority from the court to make decisions on the senior’s behalf. Decisions relating to their assets require a conservatorship, and all other personal decisions may require a guardianship, also known as Powers of Attorney.

5. Educating seniors and family members – One of the most important services elder care attorneys provide is educating seniors and their families about current resources, laws and regulations and planning strategies that are appropriate to each individual client.
For those who may not be able to afford an elder care attorney, check with your local county for grants offered through the county’s aging department or local nonprofit organizations. Elder care attorney services are about more than just protecting your loved one’s assets. These five important services of an elder care attorney are just some of the many things they can do when making the legal decisions regarding your aging loved one.

Evidence linking being social with increases in one’s mental and physical health continues to increase.  In fact, a new study found that very social seniors had a 70% reduction in their rate of cognitive decline when compared to their unsocial peers.
The study followed 1,138 individuals with an average age of 79.6 for around 5 years.  None of the participants had dementia at the start of the study which eliminated dementia as a cause of social isolation. 
The participants ‘level of social activity’ was based on things like visits to relatives and friends; membership in groups; attendance at religious ceremonies; and participation in activities such as bingo, sporting events, or going to restaurants.  The responses lead to a numerical score.
The results were drastic.  Each one point increase in the score was linked to a 47% drop in the rate of decline in cognitive function and 43% reduced risk in becoming physically disabled.  Other studies have found that severe social isolation is as deadly as smoking. It can even double your risk of an early death. 
Stress is the link between social levels and health.  Lack of social contact is stressful for social beings.  Moreover, stress increases one’s risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and mental illnesses. 
Because our brains are designed for socializing, it’s no surprise that not doing so leads to a slew of health problems.  So get out and enjoy your friends and family as much as possible.

Changes in your thinking processes and memory are inevitable as we age. According to the 2011 Alzheimer's Association's Annual Report, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer's disease every 70 seconds. Luckily, simple lifestyle activities, both physical and mental, can decrease your chances of dementia and keep your mind sharp as a tack! Also note that debilitating memory loss doesn't happen to everyone. Here are 10 ways to boost your memory power. You will notice that most of these activities are probably already incorporated into your daily routine. 1.    Take the stairs – Exercise benefits your brain as well as the rest of your body. Increasing blood flow to the brain results in less brain shrinkage and lowers the risk for Alzheimer's disease. Remember, one step at a time – it all adds up.  Avoid elevators, park at the far end of the lot and try taking an evening walk around your block. 2.    Take a nap during the day – Memory storage happens while you sleep, which is why a good night’s sleep is so valuable. A six-minute nap is as valuable for short-term recall as a 90-minute nap has been shown to speed up the process that helps the brain consolidate long-term memories. 3.    Play a ‘brain’ game - A study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society shows that people over 65 who used a computerized cognitive training program for an hour a day, over a period of eight weeks, improved memory and attention more than the control group. 4.    A Cup of Joe - Green and black teas have a protective effect on memory by influencing enzymes in the brain while the caffeine sparks concentration. People who drink moderate amounts of coffee, as many as three to five cups, have lower odds of developing dementia later life. 5.    Eat your greens - People who are deficient in folate and vitamin B12 have an increased risk of developing dementia. Great vegetable sources for folate include romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, mustard greens, parsley, collards, broccoli, cauliflower and beets. Don’t like vegetables?  An abundant amount of Folate can also be found in lentils, calf's liver, pinto and black beans. Home Care Assistance offers a great health-oriented program for clients that caregivers are trained in called the Balanced Care Method. 6. Learn something new - Pursue a new type of  activity using skills far different from those you are accustomed to using. Learn a new language or try a sculpting class! 7. Eat chocolate! - In 2007, a study by the Journal of Neuroscience reported on the memory-boosting effects in rats from a plant compound called epicatechin. In addition to cocoa, epicatechin is found in blueberries, grapes and tea. 8. Put everything in its place - Your memory needs a certain amount of familiarity to keep your life functioning smoothly. Place your keys and glasses in the same place every time. Write notes to yourself as a reminder (the very act of writing will help your recall). 9. Don’t retire – Volunteer. A satisfying work life offers social stimulation and decision-making opportunities, exercises and problem-solving skills. Volunteering after retirement involves learning new material and interacting with others. 10. Spend time with loved ones – Being around other people who keep you engaged and stimulated lowers your risk of developing dementia. By setting aside time each day to walk, learn something new and munch on chocolate, you can help boost your memory for years to come.

The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association announced new guidelines for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease before it turns into full blown dementia.  For the first time ever, the guidelines include brain imaging tests that clearly show Alzheimer's contributes to an individual’s mental decline.  The new guidelines aim to identify the disease even earlier, proving it attacks the brain over a period of ten years, before external signs are visible.  
The tests conducted use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and position emission tomography (PMT) as well as examine spinal tap fluid.  The tests will reveal ‘plaques’ made up of a protein called amyloid and tau which are key determinants of Alzheimer’s.  
The new guidelines compartmentalize Alzheimer’s into three stages: preclinical Alzheimer's – individuals with specific brain changes, but no obvious symptoms; mild cognitive impairment – mental decline is obvious, but individuals are still able to maintain independence; and lastly, Alzheimer’s dementia – which is the latest stages of the disease.
Unfortunately there are still not any therapies that can change the course of the disease, but there are things families and patients can do to minimize the impact of Alzheimer's disease.  Structuring the patient’s environment, healthy exercise, diet and getting proper medical care are all important steps that need to be taken.  Gary Kennedy, M.D., Director of psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center says, “We can’t really modify the disease, but we can push back the disability.”
These new guidelines aim to help scientists predict the biological changes that cause Alzheimer's and develop drugs to fight it.  The director of Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Marilyn Albert, said, “We believe that it's critically important, when we do have more effective drugs, to intervene as early as possible".